1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates in general to integrated circuits, and more particularly to memory arrays. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to dynamic sense amplifiers for memory arrays.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Sense amplifiers are used to read the voltage levels in static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices. Two types of sense amplifiers may be used to read the memory array, a static sense amplifier and a dynamic sense amplifier. Dynamic sense amplifiers offer various advantages over static sense amplifiers, examples being lower power consumption, more compact layout, and higher sensing speed.
A disadvantage to using typical dynamic sense amplifiers is the inability to "recover" the output of the sense amplifier. To "recover" a sense amplifier means to change the output of the sense amplifier if the initial data sensed was incorrect. If only one memory cell out of the SRAM memory array is read incorrectly and can not be recovered, the die is useless.
To reduce the chances of having a dynamic sense amplifier read a cell incorrectly, the dynamic sense amplifiers are not enabled, or "clocked", at an optimum time, but rather are clocked after a worst case time delay. A worst case time delay typically takes into account processing, sense amplifier offsets, and operating conditions such as temperature and voltage. Clocking a dynamic sense amplifier after a worst case time delay ensures that a sufficient signal has built up before sensing begins. Clocking the sense amplifier in this manner, however, has the undesirable effect of reducing the operation speed of some of the potentially faster SRAMs in the distribution of memory arrays in order to ensure the slower SRAMs within the distribution of memory arrays are fully functional.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a method and circuit for reading a memory array which can be recovered and which may operate at a faster rate of speed.